Following a string of third-place finishes, Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards is expected to drop out of the race this afternoon.

The former senator, 54, will announce his withdrawal at a Habitat for Humanity site in New Orleans at 1 p.m., a senior adviser told ABC News.

While John Edwards' populist message earned him loyal following, "It became clear that [getting elected] wasn't going to happen," the adviser said.

Despite this photo with John Mayer, we're still fond of John Edwards.

Edwards, the running mate of John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election, never got much traction this time around in taking on both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, both U.S. Senators, in his second White House bid.